After leaving the training center, Jay wasted no time in going to the place agreed with Sarah, which was on the outskirts of the city, in the huge plains that separated the cities.
The reason why they had decided to meet in a place outside the city was because just as Jay did not have access to the golden city, Sarah did not have access to the bronze city either.
Of course, it was not just a meaningless rule, but it had its purpose.
Because of the gap between the skill level of the students in the different cities, each of these cities had facilities and resources to help a specific group of students.
Thus, the bronze city had resources and teaching methods designed to help bronze students unlock their true potential.
On the other hand, the silver city had students who had already unlocked their potential but did not know how to use it or were just getting used to it, so it had other types of resources and teaching methods to help them consolidate that unlocked potential.
Finally, the golden city possessed students who had already unlocked their true potential long ago and also knew how to use it, resulting in them receiving even more specialized training focused on how to advance in grade while honing their skills.
As for whether Jay or Sarah were allowed to go outside their respective cities, there was no problem as long as they returned before curfew, which was 11 p.m. sharp, or at least that was the case for Jay.
Leaving the city, Jay's face was hit by a cold current of wind that rather than making him feel cold, it made him feel refreshed.
Unlike the bronze city, which leaned much more towards a modern city full of life with mystical touches, the outskirts couldn't have been more normal and simple.
A large plain stretched as far as Jay's eye could see, with the only thing moving across the short grass being the wind currents that took advantage of the lack of obstructions to run freely.
And in the middle of it all, a dirt road that could easily fit dozens of cars, yet was completely empty.
Bringing his gaze up to the sky, observing the countless stars in it as the wind kept hitting him in the face, Jay couldn't help but feel at peace with himself, "Hm, this... is quite nice."
With a slight smile on his face, Jay found this situation amusing, due to the fact that what he was now enjoying, a moment of calm where he didn't have to worry about anything, before had been just another day in his life.
He found funny that just a few months ago, his biggest worry had been what college career to choose, and now he was on his way to train his skills as an esper with Sarah.
Slowly, a feeling of nostalgia filled him.
Perhaps so he wouldn't feel alone at this moment, or maybe because he wanted to vent to someone, Jay raised his hand and looked at his palm, from which quickly emerged a small plump worm with extremely sharp teeth.
"Thanks again..."
While those two words might seem short and insufficient, they expressed perfectly how Jay felt not only to the parasite in his palm, but to all other parasites, not forgetting of course, the system.
While he had done it once before, even if he did it two or three more times, the feeling of gratitude would not be diminished.
In response, the little parasite stared at Jay, almost as if it had understood what the esper had meant to communicate.
"Oh, could it be that you finally understand what-"
*Chack*
However, the next moment, seeing that it had no further orders, the parasite slipped back into Jay's hand, communicating a simple thought to Jay, "Cold."
This action, instead of leaving him feeling weird about being ignored, caused the smile on his face to grow wider.
Now in an improved mood, Jay began to move quickly down the dirt road, his silhouette that started out visible from the city becoming smaller and smaller until finally disappearing.
***
Within a short time, and after traveling a great distance, Jay came to a certain grassy field that had a few large, thick trees, giving way to a forest.
This had been the designated place for them to meet.
Being away from any of the three cities, there was no risk of being interrupted by either students or teachers, giving them a free pass so they could train without worry.
Surveying his surroundings while using his vitality radar, Jay found that a considerably strong vitality signal was located at the top of one of the larger trees.
Bringing his gaze to the top of said tree, the sight that greeted him caused him to momentarily become captivated.
On one of the thicker branches, a beautiful girl with long light blue hair swaying in the wind was leaning back, in a great show of balance as she moved her fingers nonchalantly creating small sparks of mana.
As for her attire, the girl was wearing a tight black tank top along with black leggings, an outfit that did not impede her mobility at all.
The next moment, noticing that someone was watching her, Sarah suddenly turned her head in Jay's direction, "Oh, you're here, let's not waste much more time and get started then, there's little time left until curfew."
Hopping down from the tree, Sarah then advanced towards Jay before her eyes began to give off a glow, using the same spell she had used quite some time ago to observe the energy within him.
Jay could sense that Sarah was acting in a rushed manner, but considering that their time was indeed limited, he concluded that it was normal.
"Let's see... although your energy is now much more controlled than before, the amount is still the same..."
Thanks to the fact that the process of moving to their respective cities had been a rushed task and one that took them a considerable amount of time to complete, Sarah hadn't had a chance to verify what change had occurred in Jay now that his energy was so controlled.
"Oh well, even if you had more energy, it wouldn't be enough to reach Carl's standard or anyone like it either. So taking that into account, the best thing I could do for you in this case would be to help you improve your combat ability."
Normally, with her being a mage and Jay being an esper, their power systems and the way they used their abilities varied greatly, resulting in the help she could give him being incredibly limited.
Fortunately, Sarah was not only a mage, but she was a mage who practiced heterodox magic, which not only had a myriad of uses and spells, but also had the characteristic of breaking the traditional rule of mages being slow and relying almost entirely on external factors to protect themselves.
While there were clearly mages in that branch of magic who preferred to leave it all up to their spells, that was not the case with Sarah, who was always looking for new ways to mix her spells with the use of her body.
Now walking away quickly, Sarah took a combat stance, "Let's start like last time, show me everything you've got and I'll take care of pointing out your mistakes, of course, I'll make sure these lessons stick with you."
As she finished saying that, a playful smile appeared on her face.
Not wanting to keep her waiting, Jay moved as well, tossing the jacket he was wearing on the lawn, revealing his torso covered only by his black tank top.
"Here I go!"
The next moment, the esper began to run towards the mage, several currents of wind accompanying him on his march.
Thanks to all the times he had repeated this, he had already reached a point where while he couldn't use it as easily as breathing, he just needed some concentration to achieve the desired effect.
If he kept this same speed, it wouldn't be long before he got closer to Sarah and started a hand-to-hand confrontation, just like the last time they were training.
Unfortunately, things were not going to be the same, after all, that time it was Sarah simply observing Jay's level, instead, now she was completely serious about training him.
*BAM!*
"Argh!"
Without him being able to finish his approach, Jay's body flew backwards, landing abruptly on the ground and interrupting his march.
This of course had been the product of Sarah using a rather simple spell called 'Air Bullet', and as the name indicated, it consisted of a small cluster of wind that was launched at high speed.
Having been among the first spells Sarah managed to learn when she was barely a rank (D) mage, its power was barely enough to tickle the body of an average rank (C) super.
Still, thanks to the fact that Sarah was using considerable amounts of mana when using that spell, it resulted in this one being faster and powerful enough to be able to send Jay flying.
Standing in the same position as before, Sarah spoke, "When approaching your opponent, make sure not to be so predictable!"
Thereupon, the mage launched herself in Jay's direction, wanting to continue her lesson.
Seeing this, Jay clearly sensed that he was in danger, so he quickly got up, almost at the same time that Sarah reached him.
In a matter of seconds, he jumped, creating a platform of air under his feet, seeking to create distance from Sarah so he could reorganize himself.
At that moment, when he was already in the air and had created a platform, he felt a cold hand grab his ankle.
Although this brief exchange had been similar to their last training, there was one clear difference ...and that was, Sarah was fighting for real.
"If you have something so convenient, use it from the start!"
With those words as her last, Sarah then proceeded to use Jay as if he were a metal bat, whipping him hard against the ground.
Seeing this, Jay wanted to use the same movement as last time to free himself, but to his surprise, even with all the wind in the surroundings, Sarah's hand didn't move even one bit, then, said esper only managed to say something before the disgrace happened, "...Shit."
*BAM!*
"Gah!"
And just like that, Sarah's painful training of Jay began.
***
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of small explosions and groans of pain finally stopped, being exchanged for the sound of a person breathing heavily.
Slightly sunken into the ground, in the middle of several other smaller craters, Jay was lying in a crater, with the special feature that this crater had been made using his body as the mold.
The reason he hadn't moved from there was quite simple..... he didn't have the energy to do so.
As for his appearance, it was quite a contrast to how he had arrived.
With his tank top now in tatters and his pants that had holes here and there, if you added his face smeared with dust and dirt, it was clear he'd had a very bad time.
Still, Jay didn't feel bad at all, but was even in the mood to joke around with Sarah, "Haa...haa...do you even know...how much this tank top cost me...?"
Next to him, the light blue-haired mage was sitting cross-legged, although her appearance was much better than Jay's, judging by the beads of sweat on her face, this training session had proven to be demanding for her as well.
With a satisfied smile on her face, moving to sit on top of Jay as she placed her hands on said esper's bare torso, Sarah invoked the same energy recovery spell she had used to treat him before, "Take it as the price for my services~"
Though her tone was slightly tired, Jay could also feel that the rush Sarah had earlier was gone, apparently having 'trained' him had helped her relax a bit.
Feeling his body slowly starting to improve, Jay lay still, receiving the magical treatment provided by his mage friend.
"...So tell me, what's the golden city like?"
"It's amazing, you literally walk on money being there, plus..."
A few minutes passed, with Sarah talking about the golden city, about how she lived on a whole floor in a skyscraper, how there were several jobs where they pay hundreds of merit points daily, among so many other things that would make any student from the silver and bronze cities envious.
Jay on the other hand simply limited himself to listen to her, just when she finished, he asked, "But there's something that you don't like, right?"
Now that Sarah was talking about the golden city, Jay had noticed the same urgency filling her again, realizing that it wasn't urgency, but something else that was bothering her.
"Hm, I only get permission to leave once every 6 months...and I just used that permission for this day."
For some reason, Jay had a suspicion that while that was part of the problem, it wasn't entirely the reason Sarah was acting rushed and even... nervous.
"So..."
Before Jay could finish, the mage spoke again, "Do you remember what happened in your backyard, when my aunt found us?"
Immediately, the memory of that day flooded Jay's mind, not knowing how to react to it.
"Maybe you think that it's a bit rushed but... I want to explore that, I want to know what would have happened if we hadn't been interrupted, and if that would have been the right decision."
Despite her nervousness, her words were clear and concise, just as Sarah was, a person who would rather do the impossible than be left with a doubt.
"However, right now, neither you nor I have the time for it, and now that we are at the Academy, it will become even more complicated... that's why I came up with something, it's definitely selfish, but it's the only thing I can do..."
After saying that, without waiting a second longer, and gathering all the resolve she had prepared for tonight, Sarah quickly moved her face closer towards Jay's.
